Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park
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The Old Forest Arboretum of Overton Park (172 acres) is a forest tract and arboretum located in Overton Park, Memphis, Tennessee. It is open to the public daily without charge. The forest was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as part of the Overton Park Historic District. Tree identification began in 1997, with some 70 tree species identified by 2002 when it was certified as an arboretum. Today the arboretum contains walking trails with 49 tree markers identifying 32 species.
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[edit] History
Conservation of the Old Forest began in 1901, when Overton Park was created when the 342 acres (1.38 km²) Lea Woods was purchased by the city of Memphis. 172 acres (0.70 km²) of its original climax oak-hickory cover was preserved as the Old Forest.
[edit] Environmental Threats
During the development of US Interstate 40 through Memphis, TN several acres were to be destroyed to make way for the new highway. A grassroots organization, the Citizen's to Preserve Overton Park, rallied to protect the forest. In Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe the United States Supreme Court finally saved the Old Forest from highway construction plans in 1971.
In 2008, the Memphis Zoo clearcut 4 acres (16,000 m²) to make way for a new exhibit, Teton Trek. The destruction sparked the revival of CPOP to protect fruther expansion of the zoo into the Old Forest.
